In this issue the photographer Jonathon B Hoyt is featured along with other photographers such as Anne Baksteen and Mick Turner. Anna Brock introduces us to artist and poet, Heather Connelly and there is also a beautiful poem by Claudia Messelodi. And yes, there is a small item from yours truly!

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In order to receive your own personalised link whenever EOTE is published, please send an email to H2M with EOTE in the subject line. 

Read and enjoy!

Image via Wikipedia

Mick Turner

continued from Part One…….

Increasingly, we see more of the old faith structures crumbling, often from their own ineffectiveness and lack of relevancy. As this process goes forward, we also are witness to many of the walls and barriers that formerly separated people and cultures falling as well. To say this is God’s will is a vast understatement. Jesus’ entire ministry was an example of reaching out to those considered unclean or unapproachable. Jesus stressed unity at every turn and this theme was echoed time and time again in the writings of Paul.

This process of tearing down walls of separation and creating avenues of connection and unity has at its heart a desire to resurrect and implement a fundamental Christian principle that has generally been lost in the American church. Our nation was founded on and developed through a people driven by a central cultural icon: rugged individualism. The positive progress engendered by this peculiarly American value is without question. However, we must understand that no matter how theologians, preachers, and laypersons alike have tried to marry this individualism to the Christian faith, they have created a form of Christianity that runs counter to the faith envisioned by Christ.

Fortunately, more and more of these new, revolutionary disciples are coming to understand that a core mission fueled the practice and the success of the early church and it is precisely that core mission that was mentioned at the beginning of the preceding paragraph. The way of living increasingly exemplified in the lives of this new breed of disciple is rooted in the ancient Christian practice known as the common good. Author and social researcher Gabe Lyons explains:

This simple phrase means “the most good for all people.” Aristotle first conceived it, but Thomas Aquinas, a thirteenth century Roman Catholic philosopher, honed it well as a Christian conception of how Christians ought to live alongside others in society. This strict definition of the common good – the most good for all people – doesn’t prefer one human being over another; instead, it values all human life and wants what is best for all people, Christian or not. It motivates these next Christians to care for all people, whether young or old, disabled, impaired, unborn, or otherwise different from themselves in race, religion, socioeconomic status, or worldview. . . . . . . .Practicing this common good mentality – where good deeds are also seen as integral to Christian mission – can actually have a positive impact on culture at large.

I find it highly refreshing to see this long-standing Christian conception of “common good” begin to reemerge into the light of day. As mentioned before, our culture’s obsession with individuality, coupled with Capitalisms “every man for himself” ethic has submerged the spiritual principle of common good, relegating it to the spiritual hinterland where it only makes an appearance as a trite platitude around the holidays. When you look at the life of Jesus, you quickly see that he placed common good at the very center of his worldview and more importantly, his daily lifestyle. As his followers, we are called to no less.

We began this article by looking at the ten questions posed by Brian McLaren; questions which we can use to frame our discussions of how we, as followers of the Master Jesus, may proceed. As we look at these questions we also discover that our personal spiritual formation and the corporate mission of the church are intimately connected. When things are working as they should, the latter provides direction and support to help facilitate the former. Experience has shown, however, that this is rarely the case. As the future unfolds, rectifying this kind of spiritual misfiring has to be rectified if the church hopes to survive.

More often than not, when we analyze the factors that contribute to the church’s failure to follow Christ’s command to “make disciples,” we find old, time-worn paradigms taking center stage. “That’s the way we’ve always done it,” and “If it was good enough for Grandma Becky, then it’s good enough for me,” or similar refrains echo down the vacant pews in near-empty sanctuaries. Still, one can hope and the new, vibrant kind of Christians we have discussed in this article give us a reasonable foundation upon which we can base that hope. And the church, with all its warts, blemishes, and even its scandals, can still surprise us at times with its resiliency and its ability to transcend the ball and chain of irrelevant tradition. These are special times when something sublime – something mystical – something life-changing is taking place. McLaren describes these experiences this way:

Rare moments come to us in our journey when the penny drops, the tumblers click, the pieces fall into place, the lights come on, and our breath is taken away. The old paradigm falls away behind us like a port of departure, and we are won over to new possibilities, caught up in a new way of seeing, looking toward a new and wide horizon. The Lord has more light and truth to break forth, we believe, and so we raise our sails to the wind of the Spirit.

 © L.D. Turner 2011/All Rights Reserved

Related articles

• Fresh Wind and Raised Sails: New Paradigms of Faith (Part One) (lifebrook.wordpress.com)
• A New Way of Thinking About Church: Part 3 (stjohnscathedral.ca)
• Faith improves health in 81% of cases (samisaacson.wordpress.com)
• Christianity: Rugged Individuals Need Not Apply (Part Two) (lifebrook.wordpress.com)

Image by fourstuarts via Flickr

Mick Turner

……continued from Part One

Even when we feel disappointed, discouraged, or overwhelmed, we can still respond in a positive manner. It is vitally important that you understand that optimism is not a denial of the pain one encounters in life. Remember Scott Peck’s runaway best seller, entitled The Road Less Traveled? The opening statement of Peck’s book was, “Life is difficult.” Peck was right in his assessment. Life can surely be difficult at times. Buddha, over two and a half millennia ago, was even more pessimistic. The first of his Four Noble Truths said that “all life is suffering.”

Even more relevant to the Christian optimist is the fact that Jesus told his disciples they could expect trouble in life. They did experience trouble and so do we. However, Jesus also gave them two important reasons to not let these troubles dampen their optimism. The Lord said two things that are of great comfort to those with ears to hear:

I have overcome the world.

I am with you, even until the end of the age.

Armed with these promises, the Christian optimist can face any difficult situation life might throw his or her way. I know that when many of you read this, the first thing that pops into your mind is, “But….” Chances are whatever words come after the “but” is an attempt on your part to either justify why you are a pessimist or to explain why what Christ said may be true for some, but not for you. For some, this process of rationalizing away what the Master Jesus clearly stated is an attempt to hold on to our negativity. I have met more than a few folks who cling very tightly to their pessimism and dark moods. As unhealthy as this sounds, and it is quite unhealthy, this trend is fairly prevalent, even in the Body of Christ.

In some ways, pessimism is a coping mechanism that a person might misguidedly employ as a means of emotional protection. I have a good friend Jeremy who fits this example. Generally a decent, caring, and devoted Christian, Jeremy is quite prone to finding a dark cloud in every silver lining.

On several occasions I have talked with my friend about this issue and surprisingly, he is quite aware of his chronic pessimism. In discussing the matter with Jeremy, I discovered that his thinking was quite different from a positive thinking Christian who expects good things in life. In fact, Jeremy expects the exact opposite. This came to light during a three-day workshop Sacred Mind Ministries taught at Jeremy’s church. Already aware of just how negative a mindset he had, I was interested in how he might respond to the training program.

On the second day, Jeremy’s team leader gave each person a scriptural affirmative statement to work with. The idea of the assignment was to see how creative each person might be in finding ways to incorporate frequent repetition of the affirmative statement into their busy schedule. When we went around the group, the various team members shared the methods they had devised and how it felt to tap into this new way of renewing the mind.

The scriptural affirmation assigned to Jeremy was, “And there shall be showers of blessing for me.” (Ezk. 34:26) The teams broke for 10 minutes of individual quiet time, during which each person would experiment with repeating the scriptural affirmation. Jeremy, however, declined to participate.

I asked my friend why he did not want to take part in the exercise. He was quite direct in his response:

“I just don’t think I can do that, mostly because it might just work,” said Jeremy. “You see, I always try to not look for or expect too much out of life. That way, when I don’t get what I expect, I am not so disappointed.”

I understood what Jeremy meant because I have heard the same words come out of the mouths of more than a few sincere followers of Christ.

“Let me ask you something, Jeremy,” I responded. “Do you figure that’s how God wants you to live?”

“Well, I never really thought about it in that context.”

“Let me ask one more question,” I pressed. “Do you figure that’s why Christ left his home in heaven, came down here into this broken world, fulfilled his mission, and allowed himself to be put to death – just so you could live in fear of expecting too much.?”

Jeremy didn’t respond, but he didn’t engage in the exercise, either. You see, Jeremy has built up a stronghold of pessimism in his mind and it has literally become a part of his coping skills. Changing this perspective will be difficult, but it can be done. I have walked through that difficult terrain myself, but that is another story. Suffice to say that with God’s help and with a person’s sincere cooperation, this type of “defensive pessimism” can be transformed into a dynamic, radical optimism.

Please don’t misunderstand what I am saying in this article. I am not suggesting that the Christian life is a bed of roses or any kind of journey that is without pain. “Life is difficult.” It is rare that three little words can contain such a profound and accurate view of life, especially in these challenging economic and social times. Scott Peck goes on in his book to express the theory that most emotional problems, especially neurosis, can be tracked back to a person’s multi-faceted attempts to avoid accepting the stark reality that “life is difficult.”

The Christian optimist would generally agree with Peck; life is, indeed, difficult. The difference between a Christian optimist and a person who views life through a more neurotic lens is the Christian’s gut-level acceptance that no matter what he or she faces, the Master they serve has overcome the world and therefore, in the final analysis, has provided a way through life’s difficulties. Further, the Christian optimist has a habit of turning life’s difficulties into positive opportunities. This is no “pie in the sky” response, but instead, the Christian optimist takes to heart the scriptural promise that God will not burden any person with more than they are equipped to bear. This is especially true for the Christian.

© L.D. Turner 2011/All Rights Reserved

Related Articles

• The Gospel and a Heart of Joy (Part One) (lifebrook.wordpress.com)
• Two related things… (livingjourney.wordpress.com)

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Mick Turner

I firmly believe one of the reasons so many people hold a negative view of the Christian faith stems from the fact that the church has failed to preach and teach the entire gospel, but instead, has given believers a watered-down, single-faceted version, which is at best a half-truth. Focusing on Christ’s “vicarious atonement,” the church has evolved into an institution that is obsessed with sin and the forgiveness of sin. Now don’t get me wrong – I am not in any way minimizing the importance of Christ’s atoning sacrifice, even though I fully admit I don’t particularly understand it. What I am saying is this: by focusing so exclusively on the atonement and the forgiveness of sin, the church has jettisoned the empowering half of the gospel and, as a result, turned out cadre of well-meaning but spiritually impotent believers who are consistently unable to live the Christian life as envisioned by the Master.

This situation is not only tragic, it is wholly unnecessary. Christ was quite clear about the full extent of his gospel and the kingdom he came to establish. Further, to make sure his message got through, he scared the living wits out of Saul of Tarsus on the Damascus Road, and in one bold action did away with the fledgling church’s most ardent persecutor and, at the same time, conscripted into service its greatest Apostle. Neil Anderson, one of the most thorough Bible teachers on the contemporary scene, takes great effort to describe the gospel of Jesus from a more complete perspective:

The coming of our Lord Jesus Christ for our redemption fulfilled a twofold purpose. First, “the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work” (1 John 3:8).  . . . . . . . . . .The second purpose for Jesus’ coming was stated by Christ Himself: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). He was not talking about our present physical life, which He is going to make full by giving us an abundance of physical things. He was talking about our spiritual life, which is our relationship with God.

Anderson continues with what in my view, is an unexpected but highly accurate assessment as to what constitutes this “life to the full.” 

The fullness of life is the fruit of the Spirit, which is “ love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Gal. 5:22,23). He was talking about a redeemed humanity that is fully alive in Christ. What a gospel!

When we look at the gospel message, the “good news,” which Jesus consistently preached, beginning with the time he stepped forward in the synagogue and read from Isaiah 61, it is hard to fathom why many so-called “sincere believers” walk around looking like they have been baptized not with water, but with vinegar and pickle brine. Our faith is a joyous affair and we, as living epistles of Christ, should spread that joy in all that we think, do, and say. This is what it means to be fully alive in Christ.

. Some of the worst scowls I have ever seen draped the faces of Christians as they sat like rigid corpses in their Sunday sanctuaries. These good folks had come together to make a joyful noise unto the Lord but believe me, if one of these stone-faced soldiers of the Living God ever cracked a genuine smile on the Sabbath, the ensuing shock waves would register over 7.0 on the Richter Scale.

This is not how God intended those of us who consider ourselves followers of the Master Jesus to live. On the contrary, I firmly believe that being a Christian is synonymous with being an optimist.

Both scripture and common sense screams that negativity and pessimism are not what God intended for his children. The Christian life was meant to be a joyous affair instead of an ordeal to be endured. Granted, life will always have its difficulties, but even when we face trials, I believe that God desires that we do so with as much optimism and hope as possible.

Personally, I have come to believe that one of the fundamental keys to a life of Christian optimism is to have positive expectations based on scripture and the integrity of God.

Think about it. In Romans Paul tells us that nothing can ever separate us from the love of God. In and of itself, that promise should keep us in a positive frame of mind, even during times of difficulty and trial. In case you are not familiar with this passage, or if you have forgotten it, let’s take a look at what Paul says in Romans 8: 38-39

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow – not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below – indeed, nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NLT)

If we trust God and believe what scripture tells us, then we have every right to be completely optimistic about the present and the future. This is not a false, “pie in the sky” optimism nor is it a Pollyanna style denial of reality. No, this biblical optimism is based entirely on scripture and God’s character. God is a being of integrity and further, he cannot lie. Our optimism is based on the firm foundation of God’s promises and his character.

The enjoyment of life flows from trusting God and, through that trust, to have positive expectations in life. We have every right to believe deep in our hearts that God truly desires our happiness because he is the Father of Lights and we are Children of the Light. Indeed, scripture affirms that God wishes that we “prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” (3 John 1:2)

This has nothing to do with what has come to be known as the “prosperity gospel.” Here I think John is speaking of the fact that God desires our happiness and enjoyment of life and that we prosper in life. Yes, this can mean financial wealth, but it can also mean emotional and spiritual wealth. We have every right to expect the best because God wants the best for his children.

John mentions here the fact that our soul prospers. What is he talking about? In brief, as humans we are tripartite beings, meaning that we have three aspects to our being. Just as God exists as a Trinity, in a real sense, so do we. Our three-part make up consists of body, soul, and spirit. The soul consists of our mind, our emotions, and our will. God’s original intention was that our spirit be in the driver’s seat and in direct communication with God. Based on this divine connection, our spirit governed our soul and our bodies. As a result of the Fall, this arrangement was distorted and, because of our spiritual death, it became necessary that the soul take up the command of our lives. The results of this, of course, are quite negative and adverse to God’s intentions.

When we accepted Christ into our hearts, ideally the original order of things was restored, at least on a spiritual level. Whereas before we were spiritually dead, we now have a new life within us, the vital Spirit of God. As a result, our own personal spirit is now alive and vital. When we live from our spirit (walk according to the Spirit, not the flesh), our soul does indeed prosper and we can enjoy life and expect the best.

Having positive expectations based on scriptural promises leads to a realistic and practical optimism which impacts all aspects of life. That is why at Sacred Mind Ministries we often refer to the Christian brand of optimism as “Holistic Optimism.” Rather than a vague, generic form of positive thinking, true holistic optimism is a dynamic force that affects the disciple’s life on all levels. Further, the Christian optimist is a person who is highly practical, very resilient, and enjoys life, even at times when things may not be going as we desire. The Christian optimist knows that God wants her best and wants her to prosper and enjoy life in all its magnitude and glory. Also, she is well aware that God has said very directly that nothing, absolutely nothing, can separate her from God’s love. (Romans 8:38)

How can we justify anything less than positive expectations which flow from a biblical worldview and dynamic optimism? Personally, I think to expect less or expect the worst is an insult to God. It is telling God you do not trust him or his promises.

………..to be continued

© L.D. Turner 2011/All Rights Reserved

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Mick Turner

There is no shortage of criticisms being launched at the church these days, many of which are justified. One of the things that I am increasingly hearing from generally well-meaning people who are on genuine spiritual searches, looking for answers that will give the live meaning and purpose, is that Christians are basically lazy people from an intellectual perspective.

 “Most of the church-going folks I know are content to have others do their thinking for them,” said Charlie, an old and dear friend who recently left the Southern Baptist Church, where he had been a member since he was 14, and joined up with a group that studies and applies the teachings of Edgar Cayce, an American psychic who achieved fairly miraculous results and healings in the middle of the 20^th Century. “If I ask one of them a question about a specific writer or teacher, at best they just parrot back what they have heard. Few of them have even read anything that particular writer has written.”

 Charlie went on to say that the primary reason for this was the fact that these folks didn’t like to think too much.

 I hate to say it, friends, but Charlie has a point.

 Let me give you two examples, the first one brief and the second one a bit more detailed. Steven, a good friend and the pastor of a growing, dynamic Baptist Church here I the area where I live, recently invited me to lunch and to discuss a new service project his congregation was considering.

 During our conversation, I mentioned that I had recently finished reading Rumors, a book written by the popular evangelical author Philip Yancey. I mentioned how much I enjoyed the book and a couple of points Yancey made about the undeniable existence of the spiritual world. I was somewhat surprised at Steven’s response.

 “I really like Philip Yancey and most of what he has to say, said my friend the pastor. “But I don’t read his books very often. They make me think too much.”

 Gee, Steven, I thought that was the whole idea.

 The other example comes from a few years back. When I was on the mission field in China, one of the missionaries, a young Southern Baptist in his late 20’s, was a fine young man, a dedicated follower of Jesus, and an even more ardent disciple of Jerry Falwell. Jackson worked at another site in the city where I lived and we had numerous occasions to discuss theology, missions, and the state of the church in general.

 I vividly recall mentioning a number of authors that Jackson had probably heard of and possibly read. As it turns out, more than a few of there authors had been black listed at the seminary where Jackson had been educated.

 “I remember hearing the name,” Jackson said when I brought up no less a prominent Christian figure than Quaker writer Rufus Jones. “All I remember was that our ethics professor said the guy was already dead and in hell and there was no need to read anything he had to say.”

 To make a long story short, there were dozen of these taboo writers that Jackson had never bothered to explore, all because he was told by those in authority in his denomination that they were apostates, heretics, or at best, just plain misguided folks who didn’t have a whole lot of sense. William Jennings Bryan was one of these figures of lesser intelligence as I recall.

 These experiences, and scores more like it, have convinced me that far too many followers of the Master are guilty of intellectual laziness. Rather than exploring their faith beyond the most superficial level, they are content to either allow someone else to do their thinking for them or engage in no theological speculation beyond what’s on the menu at next Wednesday’s pot luck. Is it any wonder many seekers looking for relevant and in depth answers to their spiritual questions are looking to other venues besides the church?

 Following Christ, although built upon a foundation of good news and joyful living, is also a serious business. The Apostle Paul tells us repeatedly throughout his letters that we are to grow deeper in our faith with the aim of becoming more and more Christ-like. Many of us, however, lose sight of this goal and wind up settling for a life that is far beneath that which the Master intended. In Ephesians 4:1, Paul exhorts the believers in Ephesus to understand how important their calling to a new life is and also keep in mind the source of that calling:

 Therefore, I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. (NLT)

 Paul uses the word “beg” for emphasis on how important this all is, then goes on to implore us to “live a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.” I think few of us pause to see what Paul is really telling us here. All too often we are tempted to gloss over the opening verse of one of Paul’s letters, figuring perhaps that they contain the usual greetings of the day, as well as instructions to say hello to so and so and other salutary remarks. Chances are, the reasoning goes, no nuggets of wisdom are contained in these opening remarks so why waste valuable time on these obligatory pleasantries. It’s better to move deeper into the chapter and get to the meat of the matter.

 Unfortunately, such reasoning causes us to miss teachings that are very important and, at least to some of us, potentially life-changing. Ephesians 4:1 is such a passage. In clear, concise words, Paul tells us to live lives that are worthy of being called by God. In essence, the Apostle is telling us to consecrate ourselves completely to our calling – and that this is really the only adequate response to being called by the Creator of all that is.

…….to be continued

(c) L.D. Turner 2011/All Rights Reserved

The Dirty Three - She Has No Strings Apollo

The Dirty Three haunt the fringes where jazz, rock and film music intersect. Their tense, brooding, often haunting soundscapes rise and fall as Warren Ellis’ violin mingles with Mick Turner’s guitar while drummer Jim White colors the songs with all sorts of unexpected tinges, often leaving the rhythm to the other musicians. They’ve never made a bad album. This one, from 2003, is a popular choice, and it’s as good as any. Alice Wading sets the stage, slowly unwinding and then leaping to doublespeed. The title track builds from pensive to purposeful to downright dramatic; Long Way to Go with No Punch is truly long, roaring and atmospheric. The best-known track here, No Stranger Than That nicks the piano lick from Shepherds Delight by the Clash, followed eventually by a memorable duel between Ellis and Turner with a Dave Swarbrick/Richard Thompson alchemy ; the last two tracks segue from a whisper to a scream. Here’s a random torrent.

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Mick Turner

The journey of personal transformation more often than not begins in significant pain. I know many of you might disagree with this statement and for all I know, you may be right. All I can say is that in my own case, in that of a significant number of my dear friends, and certainly in the lives of many of the people I have counseled over the years, the real pilgrimage of spiritual transformation truly commences when we scream from deep in the pit of our stomach, “Good God, I can’t take this anymore.”

 In order for many of us to become teachable, we have to be driven to the point to where we realize that maybe, just maybe, we are not nearly as clever as we thought.

 First, we must admit the reality of our own broken nature. We must come to that point of awareness, whether driven by intense spiritual longing or our own personal sense of pain and desperation, that we are operating at less than optimum capacity. By this I mean we must realize, with the fullness of our being, that something about us is broken. Once having done this, we can then move on to the second realization regarding our broken selves. We cannot fix ourselves! True, with great effort and diligence, we can improve ourselves. We can develop our capacities but left to our own devices, we cannot fix ourselves. Something is fundamentally wrong deep within all of us. Something dark and deadly, something beyond our understanding lurks in each and every one of us. Somehow we know intuitively that whatever this personal demon is, it is the source of our misery.

 Much of the root of our problem and the darkness referred to in the paragraph above comes from our obsession with self. “What’s in it for me?” has become the singular question for several generations now. A.W. Tozer speaks to this issue and the problems that float in its wake:

 There is within the human heart a tough fibrous root of fallen life whose nature is to possess, always to possess. It covets ‘things’ with a deep and fierce passion. The pronouns ‘my’ and ‘mine’ look innocent enough in print, but their constant and universal use is significant. They express the real nature of the old Adamic man better than a thousand volumes of theology could do… The roots of our hearts have grown down into things, and we dare not pull up one rootlet lest we die. Things have become necessary to us, a development never originally intended. God’s gifts now take the place of God, and the whole course of nature is upset by the monstrous substitution……..Our woes began when God was forced out of His central shrine and ‘things’ were allowed to enter. Within the human heart ‘things’ have taken over. Men have now by nature no peace within their heart, for God is crowned there no longer, but there  in the  moral dusk stubborn and aggressive usurpers fight among themselves for first place on the throne.

Bob George puts it another way, straight to the point:

 Jesus Christ says he came to give life. What kind person needs life? The answer was obvious: only the dead……….From God’s point of view, the problem with man is not just that he is a sinner in need of forgiveness; his greater problem is that he is dead and in need of life.

 Bob George is telling us the ultimate truth that the Bible shouts from almost every page. We are for all practically purposes, spiritually dead. Coming to realize this fact is part of the solution to our dilemma, but that is another subject for another time. Our focus right now is on our broken nature and how it, in some ways at least, can be our dear friend. Our fundamentally deceased spirit can be a blessing when and if it drives us to such a point of desperation that remaining as we are is no longer a workable option. Our pain is our greatest teacher when and if it takes us to the point surrender. Erwin Raphael McManus, one of my favorite authors, gives a clear description of this place we come to where transformation is our only option:

 No one can force this on you, nor can it be anyone else’s ambition for your life. It has to come from within you. Sometimes it takes a menagerie of different experiences to bring us to it. Some of us will insist on going through tremendous pain, disappointment, and failure before we come to it. Eventually we have to be able to look at ourselves in the mirror and decide there’s someone else that we want to see there. But everyone who’s going to make this particular trek has to pass through the same gauntlet that has brought me and so many others to that place where in the deafening silence we hear the cry of our own soul screaming, “I want to change!”

 Anyone who has been brought low by this type of personal angst and came out of it on the spiritual path can understand the old adage that say, “It is darkest just before the dawn.”

 I worked for many years in the field of alcoholism/addiction treatment and prevention. Time after time I saw successful programs of recovery begin when the afflicted person was, as they often said, “sick and tired of being sick and tired.” These words reflect a deep, real, and lasting desire for change. We don’t have to be addicted to alcohol or drugs to reach a similar point.

 I don’t know about your life, but I can attest that in my own I reached a point of absolute confusion in terms of my spiritual life. Although my spirituality was the most important part of my life, I often managed to think myself into a corner and this eventually began to wear me down. Like I said, I was confused, overwhelmed, and hopeless. Left to my own devices, I truly believed I might end up insane or if not that, at least profoundly depressed and isolated. And it is precisely at this point that the answer began to appear, at first like a very dim point of light.

 I am convinced that when we reach our own personal threshold of discomfort, we are then ripe for transformation. That threshold may be different for different people but in most cases, although painful, this sense of desperation can be a doorway into a life that is blessed beyond anything you thought possible. The key is that you have to step across that threshold and into a new way of living. For many of us, this is a highly threatening process.

 Step Two in the Twelve Step Program utilized by AA and many other self-help groups states: Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. It is this second step that provides us with a sense of hope. It implies that restoration is possible and that there is a power that will help us with that restoration.

 As comforting as Step Two is, for many it becomes a major stumbling block. The most often cited problem centers on the fact that many people grapple with the notion of a “power greater than ourselves.” For Christians, however, this is not the issue. As believers in Christ we have no problems accepting the existence of a Higher Power and we are given ample evidence in scripture that this power is able and willing to heal us.

 Christians run into difficulty here, usually for one of two reasons. First, we may feel that God is able to heal people of any malady, but we also may have the mistaken notion that he will not heal us. After all, we tend to think that our sins, shortcomings, and defects of character are worse than most. Yes, the Master may indeed heal Joe Six Pack down the street from me, but he won’t heal me because I am really a mess!

 Basically, we convince ourselves that healing is possible for everyone but “me.”

 (to be continued)

© L.D. Turner 2010/ All Rights Reserved

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• Transformed! (challies.com)

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Mick Turner

As we deepen our spiritual practice, one of the most accurate ways to gauge our progress is to measure our sensitivity to our surroundings. Are we becoming more mindful? Are we able to discern patterns, themes, and the presence of the Divine in ways that we couldn’t before? Are we generally more alert to what is coming in through our senses? Especially, are we better able to see the genuine needs of others and respond in ways that are both effective and empowering? The ways in which we answer these kinds of questions will reveal much in terms of our overall progress on the spiritual journey. Wayne Teasdale, in his book A Monk in the World tells us:

The person with a contemplative attitude, whose life is shaped by its demanding discipline, shows a wonderful sensitivity to everyone and everything. It is a sensitivity born out of an awakened capacity for union with God. Everything, every person and situation, becomes an occasion for communion with the mystery in the silence of the heart. Alert, attentive, receptive and responsive, the contemplative person is awake to the possibility of communion with the source in every action.

Alert – attentive – receptive – responsive – these descriptive terms used by Wayne Teasdale accurately portray the presence of a mindful, spiritually mature human being. In essence, as we mature we are becoming increasingly aware of the ways and wisdom of God. Moreover, we are better able to accept, internalize, and manifest that wisdom in our daily lives. If we are not becoming beings that consistently exhibit these holy characteristics, something is amiss in our spiritual journey and it is important to discover the problem and rectify it.

Among my favorite parts of the Bible are the writings of the big gun prophets – guys like Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Isaiah. Over the years the scriptures penned by this trio of seers have really grown on me, although I must admit that early on in my walk of faith I didn’t have so much as a clue as to what they were getting at. By the grace of God and the unflagging work of the Holy Spirit I have grown enough  spiritually to see just how profound these inspired messengers of God were and also, just how deeply they can speak to me about things of maximum import. Take these words of Jeremiah for example, taken from Chapter 17: 5-10 (NRSV):

 Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals and make mere flesh their strength, whose hearts turn away from the Lord.

 They shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when relief comes.

They shall live in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.

Blessed are those that trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.

They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green, and in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.

The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse – who can understand it?

I the Lord test the mind and search the heart.

As we reflect on these powerful words by Jeremiah we soon discover that the great prophet is touching upon a topic that is a central thread in the fabric of biblical wisdom. In these five verses from Jeremiah, as well as in other scriptures from Genesis to Revelation, we see God’s wisdom in juxtaposition to human wisdom. We see clearly the choice that confronts each of us on a daily basis: Will we build our lives on the basis of God’s wisdom or on the basis of humankind’s wisdom?

Methodist scholar and writer Robert Mulholland, Jr. describes Jeremiah’s message quite cogently:

In a very focused way Jeremiah illuminates a reality that threads its way from Genesis to Revelation. He reveals there are two fundamental ways of being human in the world: trusting in our human resources and abilities or a radical trust in God. You cannot be grasped or sustained in the deeper life in God – being like Jesus – until you are awakened at the deep levels of your being to this essential reality.

We see the same theme carried forward by Paul, especially in the first two chapters of 1 Corinthians. The Apostle makes it abundantly clear that no matter how wise and sophisticated worldly wisdom may sound, it pales in comparison to the sacred wisdom of the Creator. In the 19^th verse of Chapter One, Paul quotes the prophet Isaiah:

 I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.” (NLT)

Continuing with this theme, Paul goes on to say that according to the standards of the world, whether Jewish tradition or Greek wisdom, the cross of Christ is seen as foolishness and nonsense. Paul also explains that God, in his infinite wisdom, made sure that humanity would never know him through human wisdom. However, for those who the Spirit has led to that cross, the issue is abundantly clear.

But for those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength. Remember dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. (1 Cor. 1: 24-28 NLT)

From a scriptural perspective it should be quite clear that God’s wisdom and the world’s wisdom are miles apart in terms of content, character, and quality. Indeed, as Mulholland asserts, we are confronted with a choice of two ways of encountering the world. Do we follow God’s wisdom or the world’s wisdom?

Each of us must choose.

 © L.D. Turner 2010/All Rights Reserved

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Mick Turner

For many years in my spiritual walk I wandered in the wilderness, seeking answers down many avenues and not a few dark alleyways. I often felt bewildered, alone, without direction and devoid of guidance. All too often I found myself isolated at a spiritual dead end, trumpeting loudly in my heart like an elephant at a dried out waterhole. I often felt abandoned by God and spiritually exhausted. I was burned out, burned down, and, more times than I care to admit, so despondent that I wanted to take the whole spiritual quest and toss it once and for all. But now, in retrospect, I can see God’s hand in each dark alley I stumbled down. I can see his caring guidance in each barren and arid well. For in each of these wanderings I learned much. I gained not only knowledge that has proved useful in many areas of life, but also obtained an experiential understanding of what Solomon meant when he said so many of our pursuits, even the most noble ones, are chasing after the wind. Most significantly, the Holy Spirit gave me the awareness that in my times of despair and what I thought was spiritual failure, I had not failed completely.

  I only failed to hear the voice.

 What voice? The same voice that accompanied Moses and his large band of followers in their forty years of wandering in the wilderness. The voice that whispered the comforting words that would have filled my empty heart with a glimmer of hope. The voice that said, “I am with thee”.

 The Creator and Sustainer, the God of All Comfort led the wandering Israelites through the barren landscape, always remaining faithful in his promise to lead them into the land of plenty. He remained with them, in spite of their lack of fidelity, in spite of their disobedience, in spite of their seeking comfort in places and things other than Himself. “I am with thee”, he said and surely he was. How much more is he with us now? Has God changed? No. Has he altered his promise? No. Has he withdrawn his covenant to lead us into the Promised Land? No.

 In fact, since the Incarnation he is with us more than ever. The angel of the Lord announced to Joseph, “They shall call his name Emmanuel,” God with us. How much more is God now with us, even in our meandering faithlessness and spiritual adultry? No less than he was with the Israelites. In fact, he is now with us in a new and more glorious way. He lived among us and left one-third of himself to reside in each and every one of us. It is to this God who we are called to consecrate our lives. The call to us is the same as the call in those days of old. We are called to trust in the God who is with us.

Again, Hannah Smith says it so cogently:

God is everywhere present in His universe, surrounding everything, and sustaining everything, and holding all of us in His safe and blessed keeping……We cannot drift from the love and care of an ever-present God. And those Christians who think He has forsaken them, and who cry out for His presence, are crying out in ignorance of the fact that He is always and everywhere present with them. In truth they cannot get out of His presence, even should they try.

 The message in these words by Smith, as well as in the adventures of the Jewish people in the wilderness serve to bring home to us the fact that God is always there whether we perceive his presence or not. He is there with us in times of trial and in times of blessing; in the darkness before the dawn and in the brilliant light of midday; in the brittle and barren moments of spiritual aridity and the lush and lovely times when we feel awash in the everlasting waters. He is, indeed, Emmanuel – God with us.

 Given the realities of the pressure-packed, fast-paced world in which we daily go about our business, it is an easy affair to forget God’s presence. I know this is true in my own life and I suspect, from time to time, this sense of God’s absence is a universal experience. It is a vital blessing and a comfort to know and trust that, even in those times when we think the Lord has gone on Sabbatical, that his live-giving presence is as close as our own breath and our own heartbeat. In fact, everything has been filled with Christ’s presence:

 And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself. (Ephesians 4:10 NLT)

 It is so easy to overlook this reality and yet it is so crucial that we keep coming back to the awareness, revealed not only in scripture, but in the experience of countless saints and in the traditions of the church in all its flavors, that God is right there with us.

 Often our sense of God’s absence is brought about by external factors such as stress, pressures from family, work, or friends, or the myriad responsibilities we all face in trying to make ends meet in a world that demands much from us. At other times, however, we avoid God’s presence if at all possible. Take Jonah, for example. God had a clear mission for Jonah to accomplish yet Jonah wanted no part of it. He chose to flee God rather than face him. God directed Jonah in one direction and he went double-time in the opposite way. The results were predictable because God is there, even when we don’t want him to be. Perhaps nowhere is this reality more clearly penned than in the words of David in Psalm 139:

 Where can I go from your Spirit?

Or where can I flee from your presence?

If I ascend to heaven, you are there?

If I make my be in Sheol, you are there.

If I take the wings of the morning

And settle at the farthest limits of the sea,

Even there your hand shall lead me,

And your right hand shall hold me fast.

If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,

And the light around me become night,”

Even the darkness is not dark to you;

The night is as bright as the day,

For darkness is as light to you.

 (Psalm 139: 7-12 NRSV)

 I take great comfort in the promise that God is there at all times, whether I want him or not. You see, the reality is that I want him far more than I don’t. I have come to understand that even thought there may be things that I want to hide from God from time to time, it is in my best interest not to hide them. And beyond this, I could not hide them, even if I wanted to.

 God is described by Paul as “the God of all comfort,” and to my way of thinking, one of the greatest comforts is the fact he is always present, no matter what I am going through. We could ask for no greater resource than this. Jesus clearly understood this when he made this promise to his disciples (and to us) shortly before he ascended into heaven:

 “And be sure of this, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20 NLT)

 © L.D. Turner 2010/ All Rights Reserved

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Mick Turner

In addition to being a “sage,” – a teacher of wisdom, Jesus was also a perfect embodiment of compassion. His entire life can be seen through the lens of what biblical Greek terms “kenosis.” Kenosis is typically translated as “self-emptying love” and from beginning to end, Jesus’ mission exemplified this spiritual virtue.

It is this very concept of kenosis that makes the Christian path unique. Even within the faith itself, it seems there were and are still many who missed the boat, so to speak, in terms of understanding what Jesus was bringing into manifestation on this planet. Traditionally, the path of spiritual development has been seen as one of “ascent,” where the spiritual aspirant engages in spiritual practices in order to purify themselves. Growth is seen as an upward spiral or ladder. In Eastern traditions, spiritual practices enable us to accumulate more “chi” or “prana,” – divine spiritual energy that enables us to better live the spiritual life.

In the Jewish tradition, where Jesus and the first disciples grew and developed, this sort of spirituality was most clearly seen in the teachings of “Merkevah” mysticism. The Merkevah was associated with ascension in general and with the chariot of Elijah in particular. Elijah, as you may recall, was whisked away to the heavenly realm in a chariot. The ascetic group known as the Essenes were especially knowledgeable of the path of Merkevah.

Merkevah mysticism is especially concerned with divine “Light,” and this pure spiritual light is available to all if they know how to harness it. It is certain that Jesus was quite familiar with the tradition of Merkevah and its inner workings and is perfectly reasonable to speculate that those times he spent alone in prayer and meditation included extensive sessions of divine “Light Work,” recharging his batteries.

This path of ascension, however, was not Jesus’ primary mode of operation. Instead, his teaching and his life emphasized spiritual formation through kenosis – self-emptying love. Jesus showed the way of “giving, giving, and then giving some more.” His was a path of spiritual attainment through complete loving sacrifice. It was and forever shall remain, a path of “divine descending.”

Cynthia Bourgeault, in her wonderful book entitled The Wisdom Jesus, gives a detailed account of this path of kenosis.

In Greek the verb “kenosein” means “to let go” or “to empty oneself,” and it is the word Paul chooses at the key moment in his celebrated teaching in Philippians 2:9-16 in order to describe what “the mind of Christ is all about. Here is what he has to say:

Though his state was that of God, yet he did not deem equality with God something he should cling to.

Rather, he emptied himself, and assuming the state of a slave, he was born in human likeness.

He, being known as one of us, humbled himself, obedient unto death, even death on a cross.

For this, God raised him on high and bestowed on him the name which is above every other name.

So that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bend in heaven and on earth and under the earth.

And so every tongue should proclaim “Jesus Christ is Lord!” – to God the Father’s glory

After this scriptural quotation, Bourgeault goes on to say:

In this beautiful hymn, Paul recognizes that Jesus had only one “operational mode.” Everything he did, he did by self-emptying.

The author then goes on to list the various ways that Jesus emptied himself in divine kenosis:

   He emptied himself and descended into human form.

   He further emptied himself (even to death on a cross) and fell through the bottom to return to the realms of dominion and glory.

   In whatever life circumstance, Jesus responded with the same motion of self-emptying – or to put it another way, of the same motion of descent: going lower, taking the low place, not the higher.

Bourgeault then contrast this kenotic type of spirituality with the more common ascension model:

What makes this mode so interesting is that it’s almost completely spiritually counterintuitive. For the vast majority of the world’s spiritual seekers, the way to God is “up.” Deeply embedded in our religious and spiritual traditions – and most likely in the human collective unconscious itself – is a kind of compass that tells us that the spiritual journey is an ascent, not a descent. Most students of the wisdom tradition consider this upward orientation to be one of the foundational attributes of sophia perennis itself…..In biblical tradition, the image of the spiritual ladder goes all the way back to the headwaters of the Old Testament, with the story of Jacob’s dream of the ladder going up to heaven. It’s probably five thousand years old. Christian monastic tradition returned to this image and developed it still further, as essentially the roadmap for the spiritual journey.

Bourgeault points out that the archetype of the “spiritual ladder” was so deeply embedded in Christian mysticism that the seventh century teacher John Climacus took the monastic name of John of the Ladder. I would also add that in the 14^th Century, a watershed period for Christian mysticism, the English mystic Walter Hilton wrote his most famous work, entitled “The Ladder of Perfection.”

When we look to the life of Jesus for practical guidance and spiritual direction, we can clearly see that the path he taught and lived was one of perfect balance between wisdom, light and compassion – gnosis, merkevah, and kenosis. From a human perspective, he attained wisdom through immersion in scripture and tradition and divine light through the regular practice of prayer, silence, and solitude. This inculcation of wisdom and light was carried out so that he would consistently have something to give away. The Master always made connection with the source so that he could be filled with wisdom and light; and he took this wisdom and light and emptied it out in repeated acts of compassion, healing, and love. Always doing the will of his father, he emptied himself into the world so that other might have light and life. Bourgeault gives this succinct yet telling summation:

Thus he came and thus he went, giving himself fully into life and death, losing himself, squandering himself, “gambling away every gift God bestows.” It was not love stored up but love utterly poured out that opened the gates to the Kingdom of Heaven…Over and over, Jesus lays this path before us. There is nothing to be renounced or resisted. Everything can be embraced, but the catch is to cling to nothing. You let it go. You go through life like a knife goes through a done cake, picking up nothing, clinging to nothing, sticking to nothing. And grounded in that fundamental chastity of your being, you can then throw yourself out, pour yourself out, being able to give it all back, even giving back life itself. That’s the kenotic path in a nutshell. Very, very simple. It only costs everything.

 If we are bold enough to lay claim to the status of “Christian,” then we are called to no less. If you desire more insight into these themes, I strongly encourage you to do two things. First, find yourself a copy of Cynthia Bourgeault’s The Wisdom Jesus and Robin Meyer’s Saving Jesus From the Church. Read these two books slowly and reflectively in tandem and make every attempt to apply these teachings to your life. Secondly, spend time in prayer and reflection considering exactly where you are in terms of establishing a balance of wisdom, light, and compassion – gnosis, merkevah, and kenosis – in your walk of faith. Pray and meditate, seeking guidance from the Spirit on what you need to do to establish and maintain a more consistent balance of this trinity of spiritual virtue.

May your endeavors and your journey bear much fruit and bring increasing manifestation to the Kingdom on earth.

© L.D. Turner 2010/All Rights Reserved

As the Cult Film Festival comes to an end, the best of the aussie music films comes to life.          The Dirty Three are the rough and ready jewels in the crown of Australian rock and roll history. Born from the need to put food on the table and spawned from the intensely collaborative local Australian music scene in the 80‘s and early 90’s, the Dirty Three pioneered the instrumental rock and roll music scene in Australia with their cathartic, sometimes violent and always spellbinding brand of music. Within a few short years, they achieved local and international success and left Australian shores to take their Music to the world. To this day the band continues to tour the world and serve the music that they see as a real, living and breathing thing that chooses the Dirty Three’s custodianship.
The documentary chases the band’s history through extensive archival footage and interviews with international luminaries.

Nick Cave, Steve Albini, Ed Kuepper, Bobby Gillespie, Mick Harvey, Catpower, Alexandre Pierrepont, Noah Taylor, Will Oldham and many more jump at the chance to tell their personal Dirty Three stories.

The live concert on this DVD is also a testament to the Bands reach. Taiyo Films took some of Australia’s finest Music Video Directors to Tokyo Japan, to film the Dirty Three playing live in Shibuya at the O-Nest venue. Collaborating with Tokyo based sound technician Satoru Fujii , a very special night in the history of the band was recorded for posterity. The Australian music video directors were also briefed to capture images of every day life on the streets in Tokyo which has been used to great effect. The concert sound post produced by Casey Rice and Mick Turner.
This release is primarily about music, it’s a story of 2 Melbourne blokes and a boy from Ballarat in Country Victoria, Australia, who have held fast to their primary objective through thick and thin, that being to serve music in the best way they can and not try to control it.

Before the movie you can grab dinner at Colonel Tan’s Thai kitchen which is located in the back room. Opening hours are 5pm – 11pm Tuesday to Saturday and midday – 11pm Friday. For menus, reviews and booking details:

www.coloneltans.com.au

Revolver Upstairs                                                                                                                                                   229 Chapel Street Prahran                                                                                                                             Doors 7.30pm Entry by gold coin donation going to Prahran Mission

www.revolverupstairs.com.au

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Mick Turner

When a person first discovers the principles and the power of the various spiritual laws the Creator has put at our disposal, he or she is often filled with hope, enthusiasm, and positive motivation. This is both natural and as it should be, because these principles are blessings that God has given us and intends for us to use, especially when we need to make major life changes in general and changes that help us to grow spiritually in particular.

 However, all too often this initial burst of enthusiasm is dampened when, despite applying these powerful spiritual principles correctly, the spiritual aspirant seems to obtain minimal results. This can be a frustrating experience, especially for those who are sincere spiritual seekers that want to not only improve themselves, but the world around them. Invariably, however, most of us reach this point when we consistently work with the Laws of Manifestation. Indeed, this can be a highly critical crossroads along the journey of spiritual development. More than a few dedicated seekers have thrown in the towel when this sort of experience begins to repeat itself with regularity. Believe me, I know because I have been there – done that.

 What is even more tragic about this situation is the reality that this crisis can be worked through without too much difficulty. All it takes is a degree of awareness regarding the less-than-pristine nature of our subconscious mind and knowledge of the proper prayer tools to deal with it.

 The Laws of Manifestation, those principles at play when we work to bring something from the spiritual world into manifestation on the physical plane, would work perfectly all the time if they operated through perfectly pure minds in a perfectly pure world. The unfortunate reality is, however, neither the minds in question nor the world in which they operate are anywhere near pure. We all have subconscious patterns of belief that operate beyond our capacity to control them, largely because we are unaware of them. These patterns of belief can sometimes sabotage our best intentions and, if we want to become more adept at applying spiritual law, we have to deal with these subconscious themes.

 Although these subconscious themes can be stubborn at times, I have found that the most direct, effective, and simple method of dealing with these obstacles is through positive prayer. In essence, we apply the principles of affirmative prayer to the very things that seem to be blocking our prayers in the first place. As ironic as it may seem, I have found this to be the most consistently effective tool.

 With that said, let me share with you a simple prayer that I use when I run up against the sort of thing we are discussing in this post. If you so desire, give it a try. Like all affirmative prayer, the key is to generate feeling in your prayer and repeat it many times. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither were your subconscious impediments and imprints. Likewise, they won’t crumble in a day, either. Here is the prayer:

 Releasing Negative Imprints

 Through the healing power of the God’s One True Light, I now release all negative imprints and impediments in my body, mind, will, and spirit. I release these personal delusions and they are no longer part of me, nor do they create obstacles to the perfect application of the Divine Laws of Manifestation. I am now cleansed and perfected – I am healed, healthy, happy, and whole.

By the power of the Holy Spirit and in the sacred name of Christ, so it is.

 Amen.

 © L.D. Turner 2010/All Rights Reserved

Han Bennink

… and again

Lots of gigs. Lots of noise, but some quiet moments as well. Music non-stop from 2pm Saturday until 8:30pm in four Melbourne Town Hall venues. Having emerged late the previous night from the finale of Melbourne’s jazz fringe festival, which has for years had its full day of music entitled Big Arse Sunday, I could not help but think the Overground concept seemed strikingly similar. Was MIJF making a bid to attract the fringe festival audience?

A few observations: The idea of a lot of bands playing in the one place over many hours (as in The Big Day Out) is great and the town hall was humming. Great to see the crowds. But the program running sheet was initially only posted on the doorways and many of us spent valuable time writing it down, because once a gig finished (many lasted only 20 minutes) it was hard to know where to go next. And unless you knew a lot about say, The Deadnotes or Pure Evil Trio or Carolyn Connors — that demonstrates the diversity of what was on offer — it was hard to plot a route through the Overground. For a festival as big and sophisticated as MIJF now is, it seems this aspect could have been done better. Perhaps the MIJF website could carry links to each band/performer, with background info and samples of audio or video.

While on the basics, I had possibly the worst coffee in the universe at the MTH bar, at a time when I needed greeeaaaat coffee. Extempore journal editor Miriam Zolin would have suffered apoplexy. It was lukewarm and I think came out of a thermos. Also, when you are rushing from one concert to the next, there will come a time when you need sustenance. And you need it on the spot, not out along Swanston Street.

Han Bennink takes to the floor

Peter Brotzmann vies with Bennink

Enough whingeing. I made it to 14 sessions, some only for a quick taste. I loved the buzz, but concerts were happening a little too thick and fast, and often I did not know who would be a must-hear for me.

Pure Evil and Occult Blood make noise

Pure Evil and Occult Blood was a wall of noise, but I left with a smile. Greg Kingston (electric guitar and toys) and Tarquin Manek (of Bum Creek, on various instruments) had everyone smiling with their antics, but it had me asking — also after the opening Han Bennink and Peter Brotzmann gig — when the showmanship interferes with the sound.

Kingston turns on the tricks

Dale Gorfinkel on contraptions

Bennink’s explosive virtuosity and sublime sense of humour are endearing — we love him — but when Cor Fuhler on prepared piano joined Dale Gorfinkel on sonic contraptions and Kym Myhr guitar and objects, I found it impossible to concentrate on the sound without closing my eyes. Gorfinkel’s device spinning polystyrene cups and a trumpet with tubing was fascinating, but I just wanted to hear the result.

Carolyn Connors

In certain contexts Carolyn Connors‘ extraordinary vocal talents would be OK, but I wanted to get away. And when classical met punk — Golden Fur with True Radical Miracle — I found it a momentarily interesting spectacle, then I wanted to get away.

Hoping Fur a Miracle

The vocal ensemble that included MIJF program director Sophie Brous sounded amazing, but I caught only the last few minutes. (Others in that group were Carolyn Connors, Nik Kennedy, Pete Hyde, Jessica Aszodi, Alex Vivian, Christopher L. G. Hill and Tarquin Manek.

Focused: Misterka and Chase

Two concerts deserved to have full attention, but I had to keep moving. These were Seth Misterka (CCM4) and Brian Chase (of the Yeah, Yeah Yeahs) on sax and drums, which was minimalist but compelling, and Vanessa Tomlinson (percussion),
Eugene Ughetti (percussion) and Robin Fox (processing), which provided a period of slowly evolving relief from the mayhem elsewhere.

I missed Cor Fuhler with Scott Tinkler and Simon Barker with Bum Creek. I missed Kim Salmon (The Scientists, Surrealists) with David Brown (Bucketrider, Candlesnuffer, Western Grey, Pateras Baxter Brown). Pity.

I found the quartet of Mick Turner (of Dirty Three, on guitar), Francis Plagne (guitar), Evelyn Morris (of Pikelet and True Radical Miracle, on drums) and Erkki Veltheim (Twitch, Australian Art Orchestra on viola) OK, but not overwhelming, and why Plagne played with his back to the audience was a mystery. Maybe he found an audience made it hard to concentrate.

All stops out: Anthony Pateras

So to the standouts, for me. Bennink and Brotzmann were strong, relentless and cathartic. Bennink with Anthony Pateras on the grand organ was an amazing and beautiful thing. Great idea, executed flawlessly. The organ had the oomph to cope with Bennink’s madness.

Grabowsky prepares for piano

Sean Baxter: A wok cover in progress

Sean Baxter on drums and percussion with Paul Grabowsky on piano was another superb combination. In the end Baxter stole the show, but they were perfect together.

Han Bennink returns …

Brotzmann and Bennink revisited was again something special, but what lifted it beyond that was their final collaboration with the Embers Big Band. Embers members Adam Simmons (various saxophones), Dave Brown (electric microtonal bass) and Sean Baxter (drum kit and junk) and Kris Wanders (tenor saxophone) joined Abel Cross (Pure Evil Trio) on double bass. Greg Kingston‘s guitar seemed to be largely lost in the mayhem.

Kris Wanders

When Wanders joined Brotzmann and then Adam Simmons for a sax armageddon the audience was in raptures.

Sax armageddon

David Brown on guitar and pedals intervened at just the right moments, backed ably by Abel Cross (Pure Evil Trio). And then there was the duel of sorts between Bennink and the drummer with the hair (Kram from Spiderbait). It was all beyond words, and beyond expectations. What a buzz for performers and for the rapt audience, who left exhausted, but fulfilled.

For more on Overground at Melbourne Town Hall, Mess and Noise has plenty.

MULATU ASTATKE
WITH THE BLACK JESUS EXPERIENCE AT THE FORUM

Mulatu Astatke and the Black Jesus Experience

What a change of pace. All that noise and full-on duelling of the Embers Big Band subsided gradually in my head on the walk to The Forum as I mentally switched gears for Ethio-jazz. The Forum was an ideal venue for a spectacle and when The Black Jesus Experience came on stage with James Arben on sax there was all the atmosphere — and a smoke machine and coloured spotlights — of a big rock concert or stage spectacular.

Mulatu Astatke

But amid all the fuss, Mulatu Astatke seemed to exude calm and generosity of spirit. This was not some rock star with an air of importance, but a man content to make his gentle contribution among the assembled musicians and, obviously, to delight in doing it. He was attentive to the other musicians and at other times seemed lost in reverie as he played.

I did not catch all the names of tunes played, but there were some from the film Broken Flowers, a Heliocentrics piece entitled Cha Cha, another called Chic Chica, one called The Dawn and “one composed for myself” entitled simply Mulatu.

I did not know what to expect, but probably something a lot more energetic and even hip-hop oriented — I don’t know why. As it turned out most of the concert seemed to be gentle and celebratory, with repetitive rhythms and subtle variations. I’d need to listen to more to be able to adequately describe the music. But it was pleasant without being get-out-of-your-seat-and-start-dancing music.

Mulatu Astatke

There was some excellent musicianship from Souren Tchakerian on percussion, Peter Harper on alto sax, Ian Dixon on horn and Pat Kearney on drums, but I thought James Arben (Heliocentrics) on saxophone was fairly disappointing. A real standout was the keyboard playing of Thai Matus — he was quiet for most of the gig, then erupted with energy and fire, lit appropriately by a red spot. Great stuff.

On fire: True Live keyboardist Thai Matus

All up, and perhaps I was suffering from the effects of Overground, this concert was not one to set the pulse racing or the blood flowing. It was a nice opportunity to chill in the club-like atmosphere of The Forum.

Kid Sam kick off their national headline tour today in Wollongong alongside Seagull and Deep Sea Arcade.  You can catch them at the following excellent places on the following excellent dates as well…

Thursday, March 18
The Harp, Wollongong, NSW
w/Seagull + Deep Sea Arcade

Saturday, March 20
The Troubadour, Brisbane, QLD
w/Seagull + Deep Sea Arcade

Sunday, March 21
Bon Amici, Toowoomba. QLD
w/Seagull + Deep Sea Arcade

Wednesday, March 24
Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour, NSW
w/Seagull

Friday, March 26
Cambridge, Newcastle, NSW
w/Seagull + Deep Sea Arcade

Saturday, March 27
The Annandale, Sydney, NSW
w/Seagull + Deep Sea Arcade

Sunday, March 28
Front Gallery, Canberra, ACT
w/Seagull + Deep Sea Arcade

Thursday, April 1
Alley Cat, Hobart, TAS
w/Seagull

Friday, April 2
Northcote Social Club, Melbourne, VIC
w/Seagull + Batrider

Saturday, April 3
Northcote Social Club, Melbourne, VIC
w/Seagull + Mick Turner

Thursday, April 8
Karova Lounge, Ballarat, VIC
w/Seagull

Friday, April 9
Metro, Adelaide, SA
w/Seagull + Batrider

Last night’s show opened with Laughing Clowns playing one of their retrospective albums, History of Rock ‘n’ Roll Volume One. I know it may be seen as sacrililege in these parts, but the band just didn’t work for me on stage last night. At times the band locked into some mean, bass-heavy grooves, but the members seemed disparate, never quite coming together to forge new ground. Wegner’s drumming, lost somewhere between jazz flourishes and straight ahead rock beats, seemed overstated and instead of uniting the elements, left them stranded, looking for structure. It wasn’t until album closer, Collapse Board, where saxophonist Louise Elliot unleashed, playing like a wounded animal calling for its mate to couple in unrelenting bliss until the light goes out in their eyes, that the band seemed to surprise themselves and (rather than recreate) create a sound that pricked the ears and skin.

And then after a short break, the good ship Dirty Three hit the stage, with captain Warren Ellis, luminous in spirit greeting the crowd, while the crew of Jim White and Mick Turner, readied the vessel for the journey ahead. Ellis tells us they will be playing Leo Sayer’s Just A Boy, which would be fascinating to hear, but as the anchor is pulled, Ellis reveals that tonight, it is Ocean Songs, an album recorded in the late 90′s over five days in Chicago with Steve Albini, with the idea of being quiet.

Ocean Songs for me, has always been much more than an album… it is a year at sea. And as the band launch into the opening notes of Sirena, each of the members is transformed, taking on the vast power of the elements… White, the ocean, at times still and shimmering, at times rising thunderously, whitecapped and dangerous, but always present, always; Ellis the wind and sky, unpredicatbly moving from a gentle caress to a blinding squall, a high-kicking dervish, whose sound is so vast you never reach the edge; and Turner, the tide, knitting it all together, his constant pull, while not always at the fore, always felt deep.

Warren’s got a story for each of the songs; the epic Authentic Celestial Music is about love and it’s fucked up nature, how it’s like realising that 98% of it is like being in a bowl of soup, wondering how you will get out; Last Horse On The Sand is about vastness, realising you are so small that it doesn’t really matter (as Warren says, baby I may not be much, but I’m the last horse on this sand); Black Tide is dedicated to the late Roland S. Howard; Backwards Voyager is a middle finger salute to flying economy and getting probed (literally) by the Chicago police; and Sea Above, Sky Below is about realising even the birds in the trees and the nice old lady down at the shop are telling you to get fucked, so you go home and take pyschadelic drugs and get to know yourself better than even the good lord intended and how you come out of that haze 5 years later and realise they have been the best five years of your life, so you go down to the shop and bend that nice old lady over the counter and say thank you.

It’s a show that surpasses the epic beauty of the original… Dirty Three are a band playing for their lives, all of our lives and tonight, all who (truly) climbed aboard, have returned transformed by these elemental forces, salt-licked and staggering, having been taken to the edge of wonder and allowed to drink.

* if you couldn’t be there, this doesn’t capture the magic, but it is incredible in it’s own right… this is a link to Dirty Three playing many of the songs from Ocean Songs as part of ABC TV’s Studio 22 series.

                                                                               photo by Cindy Keong

My heart is never far from the ocean, but the pull of the salt has been even stronger these last few weeks…  I am currently putting the finishing touches on my next full length collection and have recently begun work on a really exciting multimedia project with photographer Cindy Keong. Both of these projects will be titled Ocean Hearted… so with that in mind, I have been soundtracking my silences with ocean songs. Here’s a few of the songs that have been washing over me.

Restless Waves – The Dirty Three

Taut and sensuous… Restless Waves pulls you deep into the blue. Ellis’ swelling violin, drifts elegantly over the gentle roll and tumble of the rhythms of Jim White and Mick Turner. And the bare-bone silences flesh out the aquatic journey. This is music to up anchor and drift away…

The North Sound - British Sea Power

Taken from the stunning Man of Aran album released this year, The North Sound is a jagged slice of melancholy. The band combine stillness and grandeur to create the soundtrack to Robert Flaherty’s film Man of Aran. The result is a broodingly atmospheric masterpiece and would have to rate as one of the most innovative releases of the year.

You Me And The Sea – The Gin Club

For me, the highpoint of The Gin Club’s 2008 release, Junk. You Me and the Sea, is the sound of a body, giving itself back to the ocean. As Salter declares, ‘my eyes the pearls that last/ my bones of coral make’, all wonder ceases… and then ’forever there’ll just be/ you me and the sea’. Heartbreakingly beautiful stuff.

2008 was a busy year for Kath Bloom. Not only did she release the massively accomplished Terror, her first official album of all-new material in 24 years, but she also saw two of her most seminal recordings with avant-garde guitarist Loren Mazzacane Connors – 1982′s Sing The Children Over and 1983′s Sand In My Shoe – get a very welcome reissue through Chapter Music. With psych-folk led revivals from Vashti Bunyan and the sadly much less alive Judee Sill and Karen Dalton sparking a huge interest in the musical canons of these ‘lost’ maidens, you shouldn’t bet against a similar wave of reappraisal for the wonderful Ms Bloom following the release of Loving Takes This Course in April.

Part tribute album, part retrospective, the main draw will be the first disc of covers including contributions from the likes of Devendra Banhart (of course!), Josephine Foster (“I consider myself her biggest fan”), Espers’ Meg Baird, Mia Doi Todd, Scout Niblett, Hush Records artist Corrina Repp, Bill Callahan, The Dirty Three’s Mick Turner (with Peggy Frew), and, er, The Concretes. Bit of an anomaly that last one. We’ll be interested to hear it. Sun Kil Moon frontman Mark Kozelek contributes his version of ‘Finally’, previously on his (mostly) covers album The Finally LP last year, at which time he had this to say about Bloom: “I’ve never enjoyed sharing a bill with anyone as much as I have with Kath. She’s wonderful and lights up the room wherever she goes”. The second disc collects together Kath’s corresponding originals, most resplendently mournful. Once again, Chapter Music will be doing the honours of putting this out.

Loving Takes This Course
01 Marble Sounds, ‘Come Here’
02 Bill Callahan, ‘The Breeze/My Baby Cries’
03 Laura Jean, ‘When I See You’
04 Mark Kozelek, ‘Finally’
05 Mick Turner & Peggy Frew, ‘Window’
06 Devendra Banhart, ‘Forget About Him’
07 Scout Niblett, ‘I Wanna Love’
08 The Dodos, ‘Biggest Light Of All’
09 Josephine Foster, ‘Look At Me’
10 Mia Doi Todd, ‘Ready Or Not’
11 Corrina Repp, ‘Fall Again’
12 Marianne Dissard & Joey Burns, ‘It’s So Hard To Come Home’
13 Amy Rude, ‘In Your School’
14 Tom Hanford, ‘If This Journey’
15 Meg Baird, ‘There Was A Boy’
16 The Concretes, ‘Come Here’

Alan Pedder

‘Come Here’ [as seen in Richard Linklater's 'Before Sunrise']

Image via Wikipedia

Mick Turner

Throughout his letters, Paul repeatedly demonstrates his understanding of the importance of dealing with our minds. The Apostle clearly recognizes that the mind is where our behaviors and actions begin and he also understands that it is in the mental realm where the enemy is most likely to launch his most diabolical attacks. It is for this reason that Paul tells his readers over and over again how important it is for the believer to renew the mind.

Here at LifeBrook clients and visitors often hear phrases and terms related to dealing with the mind in general and the process of renewing the mind in particular. In our training programs on “Strategies for Renewing the Mind” and “Who We Are In Christ,” we typically explore the importance of developing what we call Conscious Cognition. Basically, conscious cognition involves assisting participants develop the ability to be acutely aware of their mental functioning. The more conscious we are about our thinking, the more equipped we are to master our minds.

“Conscious Cognition” is based on the teachings of Paul regarding the renewal of the mind, tearing down strongholds, and taking thoughts captive for Christ. The actual practice of conscious cognition involves disciplines such as positive thinking, positive imaging, positive statements, and affirmative prayer.

We have found that the most fruitful exercise for most people involves what is popularly referred to as Affirmative Prayer.

How to Form an Affirmative Prayer

1.                  Affirm your identity as a child of God and a new creation in Christ.

2.                  Affirm your positive connection with the Divine and the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life.

3.                  Voice your desired goal in positive, affirmative words in the present tense.

4.                  Express your gratitude for having your desire granted by God.

5.                  Close prayer in Jesus’ name with a firm and joyous Amen!

After your formal prayer session, your Affirmative Prayer process continues in three important ways. First, maintain a sense of positive expectation in which you faithfully believe your prayer has already been answered. This is not wishful thinking or a “fake it til you make it” pretense. Instead, it is the faithful acknowledgement that, just as scripture promises, your blessing has already been provided in the spiritual world. This brings us to the second manner in which your Affirmative Prayer process continues. You act as if the object that you prayed for has already been obtained in the physical world. What this does is aid in the process of bringing your already granted blessing from the spiritual world down into the flesh and blood reality of your daily life.

The third way in which your Affirmative Prayer session continues involves a personalized affirmation. This type of affirmation is a short phrase, usually gleaned from Step Three in the process described above. For example, if you prayed for an increased sense of confidence and courage, your personalized affirmation might be:

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want; I am confident and courageous in all my endeavors.

The important point here is to repeat this shortened form of your prayer session as often as possible. It is especially important to repeat your personalized affirmation when you first arise in the morning, and just before going to sleep. Another method that has been helpful for many Christ-followers is to coordinate their affirmation with their breathing, just as when performing “breath prayers.”

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. (inhale)

I am confident and courageous in all my endeavors. (exhale)

I have found affirmative prayer to be an excellent modality of approaching our relationship with the Creator. As stated earlier, effective affirmative prayer is always based on scriptural promises. The actual process of affirmative prayer as described in the preceding paragraphs is not designed to remind God of his promises. God does not need to be reminded of anything. Criticizing the method of affirmative prayer based on the “reminding God” notion is a mistaken and futile practice.

Affirmative prayer does help remind us of our need for God, our utter dependence upon God, and of the generous blessings he has already provided for us. With these thoughts in mind, let’s look at an example of an affirmative prayer that meets the criteria laid out above.

I take possession of the reality that I am a child of the Living God and a new creation in Christ. I acknowledge that because I have been adopted into the family of the One True God, His eternal light shines in me and through me, casting His presence and His love onto a dark, hurting world. The Holy Spirit, a full one-third of my Heavenly Father lives in me, making me powerful and whole, capable of doing great things for the glory of God.

 Therefore, I go forth each day with confidence and courage, meeting the challenges of life with faith and optimism, knowing that the Lord is within me, equipping me for any circumstance.

Lord, I thank you for your presence within me, beside me, above me, and in every circumstance, and I am especially grateful for your gifts of courage and confidence, the very things I requested as I approached your throne.

With love and gratitude, I pray these things in Jesus’ most holy name, the name at which every knee shall bow. Amen…

Remember also that the abbreviated form of the prayer is:

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want; I am confident and courageous in all my endeavors.

I have found that for both the long form and the short form, repetition is the key to success. Our bad habits of thought were formed in the exact same way as we, along with the Holy Spirit, will go about forming new habits of thinking that will move forward the process of renewing our minds. Each time we repeat our positive affirmations and our affirmative prayers, we make a little progress toward our goal. We repeat it, and we move forward a little more – and on and on it goes. The good news here is that we can soon begin to see change taking place and that change, no matter how small, is significant. When we experience the fact that change is possible; when we see through our own experience that we are actually making gains – this provides us with the ability to live in hope and optimism.

As time passes and we remain faithful in our practice, the pace of change accelerates. Our friends and associates will notice that we are somehow different. Even if they can’t put their finger on exactly what has changed, they know that for some reason you are easier to be around. Whereas before you often greeted them with a flat expression and a diverted gaze, now you approach them with a smile and look them in the eye. And guess what, my friend? This opens a door for you to share the source of the “new you.” As you continue to manifest the fact that you are, indeed, a new creation, you will have increased opportunities to share how this all came about.

Renewal of the mind, as Paul pointed out, is the key to an effective walk of faith. If you have been ignoring Paul’s insistence of cognitive renewal, why not get back to it? And if you have been avoiding this teaching, why not push yourself to get on with it? Your progress will be minimal until you place a renewed mind in the new you, the new creation.

Also, I suggest that you keep in mind the goal of all this work toward the mind’s renewal, as well as other disciplines in your program of spiritual formation. You want to get to the point where, as the Apostle, you can say with confidence the four words that best describe the state of the truly transformed Christian’s life:

Not I, but Christ…

© L.D. Turner 2008/All Rights Reserved

Returning to his solo project, Turner arrives for a rare appearance at The Briton’s Protection with a ghostly mix of loops, feather-light percussion and the kind of guitar rumblings that make you wonder if you’ve died and gone to Les Paul heaven. Adding to the intimacy are brooding country menaces Bone-box, whose telescopic line-up stretches from a duo to double figures depending on occasion, and Samson & Delilah, ex-members of pastoral folkies The Waverton Collective.

Mick Turner

Fri Sep 19, The Briton’s Protection, 50 Great Bridgewater Street, Central Manchester. 8pm, £5. Tel: 236 5895. http://www.myspace.com/trenphantasma

This Melbourne five-piece have obviously been stockpiling their influences for some time, attempting with their latest album to boil them down into one unique and original whole – these 11 songs are full of indie pop jingle-jangle and meandering cynicism.

Unfortunately, citing your love of The Velvet Underground (‘Dark Pete’), Modern Lovers (‘Oh Pity Me’) or Yo La Tengo (‘Reflections…’) doesn’t make you the sum of these parts – the songs here sound flat and the spirit dampened by a lacklustre mood. It’s always a challenge to make melodic pop sound fresh and vibrant, and there’s just not enough dynamics happening here to hold your attention, each song bleeding into one another and fast into the background.

Still, there’s plenty of kindling here ready to ignite – it’s just a matter of finding the right spark (not present here) to set it all off.

THE STRANGE DEATH OF LIBERAL ENGLAND
Forward March (Fantastic Plastic/Inertia)

Not since Bright Eye’s Story Is In The Soil… has an album sounded so gloriously expansive but so steeped in a musical tradition that its mere creation is like the declaration of the next heir to the throne.

Opening with a track that’s equal parts modest introduction and shimmering guitar that stretches the horizon, its blend of pop melodies, folk history and vast rock vision is extremely intoxicating. Add atop all this the cataclysmic caterwauling of various vocalists and it’s music made by people who’d have you believe that their very life depended on these songs. ‘A Day Another Day’ unites around swelling sheets of Mogwai-esque guitars and a rallying chorus line, only to give way to a moment of bare simplicity and then crash with a lifting crescendo. ‘An Old Fashioned War’, on the other hand, lets all this go and simply stomps out a shanty-styled melody that the Pogues would be proud to call their own.

The Strange Death of Liberal England could very well be the calling that the ‘King is Dead’… but it’s with this troupe that we declare “Long live the king!”

PRETTY BOY CROSSOVER
A Different Handwriting (Sensory Projects)

Every new album by Adelaide’s (and now Japan’s) Pretty Boy Crossover is like the end of another day and the start of another glorious and vivid dream to sink into. This album islush with echoing instrumentation and the kind of electronic hum that soothes your senses.

Maybe it’s the influence of the artwork, but there’s an element of melancholy to these 11 tunes that wasn’t present in the past, the kind of yearning that was just a dreamy haze in earlier outings but here emanates a sense of hope… a far distant sense, just a little out of reach. A smattering of vocals care of Underground Lovers’ Vincent Giarrusso (Bruises’, House Left Behind’) keeps everything very much in focus and builds a sense of urgency throughout the album, giving their glitch-filled ambient electronic a heavier but inviting sound. This is wondrous sound to walk around in.

CRESCENT
Little Waves (Fat Cat/Inertia)

The dreamy songs that comprised Crescent’s 2003 album By The Roads and The Fields are a considerably more sparse affair on their follow-up. Recalling trans-Atlantic peers such as Califone or even a drearier M Ward, everything about these 10 songs are understated and laid back.

From the wayward banjo in ‘Come Into the Shade’ to the squeals of farmyard animals under ‘Geese’ and haunting trumpet in ‘Birds Came Out…’, you get the feeling that this is exactly what you would get were you to stumble on these folk secretly murmuring their sounds out in the back stables. The undulating tones ultimately will either seduce you or leave you feeling quite sleepy – that is until ‘Drift’, when the whispers finally rumble up momentarily into a freeform clatter of percussion, only to return to more unabashed meanderings.

CUT OFF YOUR HANDS
Blue On Blue (Levity/SpeaknSpell)

It’s like this New Zealand group can’t decide whether to be a blazing rock band or a wusie cute pop band. Their mixture of saccharine vocal melodies and bristling rhythms at times works (‘Closed Eyes’) and at other times undermines any cohesiveness (‘Still Fond’), but by the close of these four tracks it’s definitely the lacklustre pop parts that win out and leave the handshake a little limp.

COLOURS AND LINES
Chow Chow (Fantastic Plastic/Inertia)

You could call this band ‘alternative’ and it wouldn’t mean a damn thing given that it’s 2007, but if it was 1995 then it would be a specific sound and genre that at that time was saturated in edgy, disaffected youth creating a catchy racket. Canada’s Colours and Lines are that time, place and racket… but here and now. From the vocoder and synth undertones of ‘Dear Francis’ to the straight dirty guitar jangle of ‘Skeleton With Hair’, it’s a pop Sonic Youth, it’s an incomprehensible Pavement and it’s a rousing Sebadoh-like chorus mashed together to create a deliriously glorious slab of fun. But rather than a really good collection of postcards from the past, thrown into the mix are claustrophobic slabs of confused and bleak sounds (‘Candi’), electronic flavourings of the kind bands like The Faint feed on daily. Colours And Lines are not the next explosive Bloc Party, but there’s definitely a pulse out there that these guys have their finger on.

FRANCIS PLAGNE
Self-titled (Synaesthesia/Mistletone)

This 19-year-old, Melbourne fellow’s expansive second offering is difficult at first to grasp, part field recordings, part ambient electronics – it’s like the disjointed fragments of a dream that swirl in the air during those first moments of consciousness in the morning. It’s not till ‘Wings 6Ft Leather Briefcase’ that we actually find any form or structure emerge as piano, glockenspiel and percussion come together to form melodies for Plagne’s whimsical voice to dance upon.

And so over the course of 17-tracks, innocent pop sensibilities interchange with primitive, clanging avant guard explorations – at times stitching themselves together within the one song (‘Replace U With An A’). The folk-pop clarity (peaking at ‘Creaking Waters’) flows as naturally as the passages of free sound (‘Arrested In Vaslui’) until the two are all but indistinguishable, leaving you enamoured with music that’s not always or entirely music but still honest expression, beautifully articulated.

I HEART HIROSHIMA
Tuff Teef (Valve)

Much has been said and lauded about this local three-piece, unabashed friends who make upstart music for insatiable youth, who with any luck will be in the right place at the right time with this debut album.

Whereas much of the swirling electricity centres around drummer/vocalist Susie Patten when they play live, on record it’s the distinctive, ragged vocals of guitarist Matt Sommers that are the electrical current that takes this music from fun-filled indie rock to making the hair on the back of your neck stand on end (‘Surgery’, ‘Crook’d’, ‘Wires’). Songs such as the single ‘Punks’ and ‘Teef’ have as much emotional tension and confusion interwoven into their chords as they do jive-talkin’, ass-shaking fun and it’s an achievement in itself that this trio can make two chiming guitars and a sparse backbeat sound like a mini tornado whipping through the room, ready to swallow one and all.

You’d be wise to put yourself in their wonderfully tumultuous path.

BRIAN CHASE & SETH MISTERKA
Duo (Heathen Skulls/Stomp)

Just because you can play doesn’t mean you can play well! Just because you can play well doesn’t mean you can make an emotional connection with the listener! Music is about emotional communication through sound!

Now while Brian Chase (day job: Yeah Yeah Yeahs drummer) and Seth Misterka (day job: Dynasty Electric Duo) can play very well, all their flailing around and blustering sound here is like an emotional vacuum! Yes, it’s free jazz and yes, it’s free of structure, but seeing as it’s also free of substance there’s not a lot here to grab onto. There’s little interaction or intertwining of the sounds captured here and there’s no dialogue – the album’s two protagonists might as well have recorded separately and just over-dubbed.

…and while stylistically comparisons could be made to Ayler, Sun Ra or Coltrane, this never really leaves the ground and certainly doesn’t get to their interstellar heights.

MICK TURNER/TREN BROTHERS
Blue Trees (King Crab/Remote Control)

Whereas past Tren Brothers outings have been very wayward and meandering excursions, it’s fair to say that this latest collection of tracks – previously released in various, limited quantities – is more tied down, even structured in its mood and melodies. Again the Dirty Three’s musical backbone spread their wings with more luscious sounds and songs that lap at your feet like extinguished but warm summer waves. Mick Turner in particular lets his guitar sing here, better than ever before (‘Away’, ‘Help Mr. Rabbit’) and softens the mood beautifully when switching to piano for ‘Au Revoir Mon Petit Chou’.

The second half of these 14 songs though sees the departure of Jim White, Turner’s solo tracks possessing a more dreamlike feel as guitar lines move both forward and backward (‘Angel #2’) and melodica and keys swing and sway (‘The Beach That Leads To Your Shore’). Recurring fragments of melodies take on an almost Parisian feel, with these songs both exotic and alluring – it may be a odds and ends collection, but it’s definitely the best thing they’ve released yet!

MONO
Gone (Temporary Residence)

Gone is a collection of 10 tracks that have come from split releases, early EPs and commissioned works no longer available. Detailing in chronological order from their inception in 1999 to more recent works, these songs show a band blossoming from Japan’s post-rock version of more popular bands into something uniquely their own.

‘Finlandia’ and ‘Blackwoods’, while clearly having the Mogwai imprint, are still ferocious and build their blizzard of sound until the guitars almost induce a sonic form of snow blindness.

Other tracks, such as ‘Yearning’, ‘Memorie Dal Futuro’ and ‘Gone’, take what are essentially pop hooks, give them the kind of expansive scope (and strings) that you would apply to classical music and make the journey a very majestic and extremely powerful one.

To call the majority of their music post-rock would be an understatement denying so much of what is present in this quartet.

YEAH YEAH YEAHS
Is Is (Dress Up/Modular)

After the lusciously wonderful Show Your Bones, our New York threesome return with a dose of gritty and raw rock. Finally we get ‘Rockers To Swallow’ with all its spit and bile, while ‘Down Boy’ is a tug-of-war of mood and sound and ‘Kiss Kiss’ recalls the electricity that coursed through their debut album. ‘Isis’ and ‘10×10’ bring up the tail end and mirror the emotions and sounds we came to love with their last album – this band’s still getting better with each release!

BAT FOR LASHES
Fur And Gold (Echo/EMI)

I’m bloody sick of people blatantly ripping off the Jesus & Mary Chain’s one real hit song. This band (and maybe this song) would be worth your time were they to use their own ideas. ‘What’s A Girl To Do’ comes off like some indie take on one of Tricky’s more moody numbers from the late 90s, but with a heavy dose of female sensuality. It doesn’t really sound all that convincing though, your attention waning even before you reach the whole 2.43.

LISA MITCHELL
Said One To The Other (WMA)

There’s always been a good amount of appeal in the fragile-voiced folk of a solo songstress, Lisa Mitchell adding to a long line of ladies who skip between pop, folk and country sounds to make heartfelt music. These four songs are nestled lullabies of sombre piano lines and acoustic guitar, all there for no other reason other than to hold up Mitchell’s weathered voice, her longing words being the thing that will make you either embrace or shrug off these songs – songs made for the quieter moments of your day.

747s
Zampanò (Ark/Ivy League)

This UK quartet jump from the speakers just as The Strokes did some years back – catchy, poppy, indie guitar hits packed with saccharine hooks and an air of good-times indifference. This glaringly obvious approximation to a now sucked dry sound doesn’t make them instantly adorable though.

Still, whack in some flailing guitar solos, a bit more dirty distortion and it’s certainly a likable mix, the mood wandering from the opening catchiness of ‘Night & Day’ and ‘Missed That Sun’ to a more frivolous, almost calypso-sounding ‘Rainkiss’ and a mishmash of slight-of-hand sounds and genres tucked in here and there (oh, and the glaringly Beatles-esque ‘Nature’s Alibi’).

Variety of mood really is the key that keeps this debut afloat, but a recurring folky, almost carnival mood only goes to undermine the more agitated moments within these 14 songs, ultimately producing a fun album for sunny day adventures and light-hearted times.

CARIBOU
Andorra (City Slang/Shock)

It would seem that the transformation continues for Canada’s Caribou. Moving from post-rock electronica early on, we had a name change along the way and the eventual emergence of vocals. Now, with album number five, Caribou comes off making music you’d imagine a latter-day Beach Boys making, were they around long enough to discover electronic music (or even Beachwood Sparks these days).

Blissfully happy, dream-like songs swirl and blossom as (wonderfully live-sounding) percussion and piano (‘Sandy or ‘After Hours’) all cloaked within hazy soundscapes (‘She’s The One’, ‘Irene’) that take it out of its electronic sphere and almost place it in purely into some 60s-styled psychedelic territory (‘Desiree’, Eli’). Not since the Boards Of Canada’s Campfire Headphase have we heard such a complete and embellished timewarp of languid sounds.

RICHARD HAWLEY
Lady’s Bridge (Mute/EMI)

While Hawley may have a past standing side by side with Jarvis Cocker, he also has the crooning ways of Mr Cocker (although he’s a lot less cynical) and has on his own created an album that’s nothing short of regal in its scope and execution.

Lavish strings sweep under picturesque piano and Hawely’s understated guitar work to rekindle a sound that’s so Roy Orbison come Leonard Cohen that you need to check for copyright. Starting off on a somber note with ‘Roll River Roll’, it’s ‘Serious’ that really kicks things off with its Richie Valens-style 60s surf-pop guitar, ‘Valentine’ and ‘Tonight The Streets Are Ours’ filled with melodies that seem instantly familiar, leaving you humming along by the second chorus. An inconspicuous country twinge rolls in with ‘Dark Road.’

Over the course of these 11 songs, Hawley has created the lost sound of innocence that you love and can only find hidden these days on AM radio.

FOG
Ditherer (Lex/Inertia)

On cold misty mornings you can see the fog, venture out into it and immerse yourself within it, but you can’t nail it down or box it into something permanent. The same goes for this musical entity of the same name, now onto album number four, Andrew Broader’s Fog (now a trio) sees the addition of live instrumentation completely redefining this group’s sound.

This is indie-rock, agit-pop with only the distant shadows of its left-field hip-hop beginnings still present. Tracks such as ‘I Have Been Wronged’ and ‘Hallelujah Daddy’ recall the gloriously ragged sounds of 90s groups like Archers Of Loaf or Yo La Tengo, ‘What’s Up Freaks’ is a downtempo collaboration with Low, while it’s not until hip-hop friends like Dosh, Why and Pedestrian come on the scene that any beats actually start up.

‘What Gives?’ is a highlight reminiscent of Queens Of The Stone Age, but even with this much variety, Dither is an undeniably captivating and cohesive album capturing a band still able to throw a curve ball at modern rock!

BEATALLICA
Sgt. Hatfield’s Lonely Pub Rock Band (Oglio/Shogun)

Rule No.1: You must be totally inbred to want to listen to this album.

Rule No.2: You must be far beyond inebriated to actually appreciate it.

Rule No.3: You must wantonly smash things (preferably over your head) whilst listening to feel the full effect of this abhorrent creation.

What good is there doing Beatles covers in the style of Metallica? Absolutely none. And with titles like ‘Rev-ool-ution’ ‘Hey Dude’ and ‘Justice For All My Loving’, you get the picture.

But then again stupid people buy useless shit every second of every day – and if you’re reading this, then chances are you could be one of them.

MIA
Kala (XL/Remote Control)

This British lass whipped up such a storm with her debut album that it was going to take something special to keep the spotlight hot. Instead, Knox Robinson has thrown open the scope to which her bangin’ bhangra beats are built – bringing the world into her songs, after having taking them to the world.

From Tokyo to Trinidad to Chennal to Baltimore and Broken Hill, it’s impressive how one woman’s sound can be so many things – live Indian percussion filling ‘Bird Flu’, banging dancehall bursting out of ‘Boyz’, 80s underground electro mashing up ‘Jimmy’ and didgeridoo underscoring ‘Mango Pickle Down River’. Sure, her rhyming isn’t the slickest, but the sucker punch politics of ‘World Town’ and Peaches-styled sexuality of ‘The Turn’ make her undeniably hot! The highlight though is by far the trainspotters’ wet dream of ‘20 Dollar’.

Blowin’ up hasn’t hurt MIA, her travels fuelling her music and keeping her as sexed-up as political and definitely an undeniable creative force.

TEENAGERS IN TOKYO
Self-titled (Pavement/Inertia)

While having a fun night out never goes out of style, the various soundtracks that come and go certainly do. So out with the old and in with this week’s latest version of the old – this five-piece from Sydney accumulating over five tracks the disco punk of The Gossip, a heavy splash of indie guitar and some shallow 80s synth work to make the hottest thing since… whatever was hot last week. I think it was The Presets or Children Collide or something?

Image via Wikipedia

Mick Turner

Right out of the gate, let me say that I had difficulty choosing a book to continue the Books That Bless series with. Having said that, it is important to note that Erwin Raphael McManus‘, Chasing Daylight was selected not only because it is significant, but because I recently read it for the third time while researching an article I published in a Christian magazine.

McManus is pastor of “Mosaic,” an emergent sort of congregation in Los Angeles. Mosaic is somewhat unique in terms of its congregational makeup (highly mixed) and because of its location. Mosaic most often meets in a nightclub. Somewhere I recall McManus saying that congregational volunteers normally arrive early on Sunday morning to clean up the club’s mess from Saturday night.

Let me be blunt: I love this book! I first read Chasing Daylight when I was developing a program at LifeBrook designed to assist student’s ability to be more “mindful” of what was going on around them. Like all programs and practices at LifeBrook, I put myself through the suggested disciplines first. I don’t feel it is kosher to ask folks to partipate in a spiritual practice that I have not experience firsthand. I encountered this book at just the right time and its impact on my life was significant. Further, I firmly believe the Spirit brought this book to me at this point in time because McManus covers several issues that are highly pertinent to being more mindful in our daily rounds.

According to McManus, many of us are so preoccupied with the incessant chatter inside our heads that we are often oblivious to our surroundings. I know this has certainly be a reality in my life. It was only after suffering a major cardiac event and subsequent surgery back in 1996 that I began to reassess my life and my priorities. Due to a fairly extended period of forced time away from work, I was fortunately better able to come to grips with some aspects of my life that needed radical change. One of the issues that God laid on my heart (as it was healing) was the need for more mindfulness and this required a reduction in the hectic pace with which I normally went about my business. The five years I spent in China only deepened this transformation.

McManus spends part of the book discussing the fact that it is in the present moment that we often discover divine activity. He calls these “divine moments” in which God often reveals something of import. We have these moments with regularity but many of us miss them because we are just not paying attention to what is going on. Learning to be more cognizant of divine moments is important, but does not constitute and end in itself. According to McManus, it is in these moments that we move from living a routine and largely monotonous life to finding God’s purpose and God’s passion.

McManus goes on to say that he spent much of his life as a “sideliner,” a person who was a passive observer of life rather than a passionate particpant in the unfolding of God’s dramatic story of restoration. I read this and related deeply to what the author was saying. I am a thinker and have the unfortunate capacity to complicate something as simple as a postage stamp. McManus tells us that the best way to overcome this sideliner sydrome is to seize divine moments and allow them to transform us:

Until our bodies return to dust, there will always be a voice crying within us to move from existence to life. The possibilities that await us in each moment are fueled by the potential God has placed within us. Seizing divine moments is not simply about opportunity; at the core it is about essence. It’s about the kind of life you live as a result of the person you are becoming…..It is in this process of transformation that we find the fuel to engage with confidence the opportunities placed before us.

A related issue covered by McManus concerns our frequent seeking of God’s will. He makes the point that many of us perhaps spend too much time seeking God’s will, when, in fact, that divine will has already been revealed to us is scriputure. In short, the Bible tells us that we are to be Christ‘s hands and feet on earth and each divine moment, if we pay attention, will reveal to us how we can carry out that will on a consistent basis. I know this has been true in my own life and in the lives of more than a few of my friends. In years past, we spend much time discussing and debating what it is that God would have each of us do, how were were to do it, and when. The danger in this line of pursuit is that we often became paralyzed into sort of an intellectual game of discernment at best and missional nitpicking at worst.

God’s will, simply put, is to find a need and meet it.

McManus makes the point that it is imperative that Christians understand that simply making choices between good and evil, right and wrong, is not enough when it comes to carrying out our kingdom responsibilities. We are told to go beyond these choices and to live a life of proactive pursuit of doing good.

We must resolve not only to leave the path of doing evil, but also to passionately pursue a life of doing good…..It is rarely counted as evil when we live in neutral. At worst a passive life is only pitied, yet God counts it as a tragedy when we choose to simply watch life rather than live it. Jesus described as wicked the person who leaves his talent unused. When we fail to choose, we choose to fail. You cannot put your life on hold. It moves forward with or without your approval. Choosing not to choose does not put off the problem; it only exacerbates it.

I highly recommend McManus’ book. It is a good read, it challenges the reader’s thinking on a number of key issues, and is highly practical. The author cuts to the chase when it comes to giving a picture of the importance of “divine moments” and, further, how to recognize God’s will in those moments.

I especially suggest this book to those among you who may feel that you are existing but not living; that you increasingly feel finding God’s purpose and your own passion has taken on the character of a greased pig; and particularly if you are squandering precious time and God-given talents while a hurting world is desperately crying out for exactly what you have to offer.

(c) L.D. Turner 2008/All Rights Reserved

But what of this ‘after’ state, this melancholy? In actual fact, the Three also give us not just dirt but dust. There is a sense when you listen to an extraordinary album like Cinder that you are hearing a dissolve into death. The melodies (for the most part the band do not use words) hardly seem to be there at all. Their music doesn’t beat you into submission but soaks into you, patterned like ocean currents. As someone who loves singing to herself but who doesn’t perform and who has little or no technical knowledge of music, I can at least get a sense of how daring and experimental, how difficult and extraordinary these melodies are, by trying to sing them. As soon as I think I have understood a tune, I realise it slips away from me. The Dity Three’s music controls you, you do not control it.

And this is where the deity bit comes in–Orpheus to be exact. When you hear Ellis on violin or mandolin you realise the truth of those Greek myths in which Orpheus charms and spellbinds the humans, the plants, the animals into a kind of ecstatic sadness. Sadness (Saudade) here is medicinal. The frenzy of human activity, what Wordsworth called ‘getting and spending,’ is suspended as you listen.

Byron thought of Robert Burns as a rare combination of ‘half dirt, half deity.’ Rare indeed is the ability of musicians to be both of these things at once: outlaw and angel, fugitive and present.